Three Strikes
by Gleeful Scribblings
Summary: Chris has been Carson and he's been Kurt. He loves them. But they're both fictional characters at the end of the day. Not like they exist... But lightning flashes in their 3 alternate worlds. Hit at the same time, Carson and Chris are thrust into Kurt's world. Worse still, everyone else thinks they've always been there. Only five people remember reality.
1. Struck

This story was inspired by this au gifset on tumblr of "what is Carson went to McKinley" by darren-crisser. It also gained inspiration from a few comments of Chris' that he wished he could see Kurt just stand up for himself instead of always having to be the good guy and forgive. I imagined Chris would be a great big brother to Kurt... and the story grew from there.

Set at the start of season 2 in Kurt's world. This story will have Klaine and Criss Colfer.

The differences in appearance between Carson, Kurt and Chris were well thought out. So each other them have slight physical differences, and it works even though they were all played by the same person e.g. Carson being tanner because they actually had to make Chris tanner so he'd match his parents more in the Struck By Lightning movie. Kurt being paler with very few freckles because freckles don't show up on camera. But Chris himself having a lot of freckles. The other differences in appearance are more obvious, so I don't think they need explaining.

If you have any other questions just review.

* * *

Carson Phillips walked towards his car with steady feet. He felt calm and happy for the first time in a long time. His armful of books and papers seemed lighter than usual. Because he'd come to terms with his life now. He felt he may have made peace with the world.

Of course some things would never be fixed. And the world would always be full of idiots. But now, even though Carson may not escape them, maybe he could live with them…

The bolt of lightning that dashed across the sky struck him so suddenly he barely noticed it.

All he felt was a small moment of shock before his body hit the ground.

…

Kurt Hummel was totally worn out after a busy day of Glee Club. After rehearsing he was so tired her almost had no time to take off his gorgeous outfit of the day and hang it up properly. Almost. Kurt then climbed into his pyjamas in a stumbling sleepy fashion, and fell into bed.

As he pulled up the blankets, a strange sensation of what could best be described as déjà vu, but wasn't quite, shot through him. It was gone in an instant, however, and Kurt's felt sleep take him quickly.

…

Chris Colfer had a very busy day, out shooting for glee all day and then spending the night pre-taping an interview with an unfortunately clueless and dull interviewer who had obviously not done their research beforehand, seeing as she was surprised to find out that Darren and Chris were not together in real life.

And then it had been right back to the set to do more filming. Chris had only just finished and it was way past eleven o'clock, when the day had been intended to come to close.

Chris waked over to his chair and began to shove his drink bottle back in his bag. Suddenly he heard thunder crash across the sky. It made him smile, reminded of Carson Phillips.

"Hold up Chris!" Darren's voice startled him as his fellow cast member came up behind him.

"You got an umbrella?" Darren asked with that goofy grin of his.

Chris looked back out across the sky and saw the rain rapidly approaching. He quickly dug in his bag and pulled it out.

"Mind if I share? Mine's in my trailer and I'll get killed if Blaine's cardigan gets wet." Darren asked. Chris grinned and held it over both of their heads as the started across the car park. Their shoulders bumped together as they talked. Darren laughed at the lightning and mentioned Chris's movie, Struck By Lightning.

"Wouldn't it be funny if you were hit right now?" Darren chuckled, gesturing to the sky as the rain tumbled around them. What Chris didn't expect was for his words to come true.

The sudden flash of lightning that lit his vision sparked right down the umbrella and sent shock waves through Darren and Chris. They keeled over backwards, knocked out by the lighting that had just sent electricity through their veins.

Everything was dark.

…

"Kurt! Kurt, wake up." Burt's voice reached Kurt through his dreams and the boy stirred slightly. He felt his bed tip a little as Burt sat on the edge.

"You awake son?" Burt asked, his voice gentler than usual as he brushed back Kurt's hair. Kurt's eyes fluttered open as he woke up, aware that it was still dark outside.

"Dad?" He asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's your brothers, Kurt." Burt said in his oddly gentle voice. "We've had a call from the hospital and we'll have to go in and see them."

"What Finn? How'd he get in hospital?" Kurt asked vaguely, not noticing in his sleep ridden state that his father had used a plural.

"No," Burt gave him a rueful smile at what he thought was Kurt's inability to comprehend the idea of who was really in hospital. "I mean Carson and Chris."

"What?" Kurt asked, having never heard these names before in his life.

"Just get dressed and we'll go, Kurt. You don't need to worry I'm sure they'll be fine." Burt told him, giving his shoulder a pat as he stood up from the bed and left, shutting the door behind him.

Kurt was still totally baffled as to what his father was talking about. But he still obeyed him, and climbed out of bed. Kurt turned around and gasped in surprise. His bedroom had grown.

Rather than the usual wall, there was nothing. Instead Kurt's room opened into the one next door, creating one huge room. And there were two other beds there. Both of the headboards had bookshelves extending to the top of the roof, lined with books. One, history books and autobiographies, the other a worn set of Harry Potter books, other history books, and more fiction novels.

Aside from that, Kurt's usual posters, from Wicked and other Theatre productions, had been joined by a large signed Doctor Who poster, and one that looked homemade, encouraging kids to join the McKinley Writer's Club.

The other wall where Kurt dresser leaned, also had a second and third dresser, and all three had photographs on them. Aside from Kurt's usual photos of he, Mercedes and some of the other Glee Clubbers and his Dad's wedding photos, were pictures if three boys who all looked identical.

One was obviously Kurt, with his wonderful clothes, but the other two wore simple styles that made Kurt cringe. And there were small differences between the boys. But either way, he had never seen any of them before and it scared him a little.

Kurt wondered vaguely if he was dreaming, but then again he could usually tell, and this didn't feel like a dream.

But it was also impossible for any of this to be real. Kurt's room couldn't have been completely re-vamped while he was asleep. He would have woken up.

Maybe he hadn't noticed when he came upstairs, because he'd been so sleepy. But no, he had hung things in his closet, and that was through the door between his bed and the next. He would have seen.

Kurt peaked around the corner and felt almost weak with relief to see all his clothes still there in the wardrobe, and his own products on the vanity. At least they were safe.

It must be a prank. A very_ very_ elaborate prank. With some photo-shopping whizz involved, to get those pictures looking right.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door and Kurt's jumped violently in surprise.

"Kurt, you ready yet? You don't have to look good, it's just the hospital." Burt chuckled through the door, though Kurt could hear worry in his voice.

"Oh yeah," Kurt's tone came out strangled, though mostly from tiredness and surprise. "I'm coming."

He slipped on his bronze pants and tailored blue top, trying to fix his hair in the mirror as quickly as he could. Burt hammered on the door again and Kurt sighed, taking a hat to cover up the mess he hadn't had time to fix.

"Okay Dad, I'm ready." Kurt said, stepping into the Hall. Burt clapped a hand around his shoulders and led him down the stairs.

"You don't have to be too worried, Kurt." Burt told him. "I'm sure they'll both be okay."

Kurt just nodded tentatively, still not sure who 'they' were, or how and why Burt was doing this.

They reached the bottom or the stairs and joined Carole, who had tears in her eyes, and Finn who was still half asleep. Kurt was even more confused at the sight of them, seeming very worried. Would his father really pull a prank like _this_? So elaborate? So pointless? And Burt wouldn't do something like this anyway.

Kurt decided to just go with it for now. He'd find things out in a moment. Hopefully.

…

Carson was drifting in a sea of white. It was slowly that he began to regain some hearing, and then it sounded as if it were coming through a tunnel.

"…We're not sure… both in the car park outside the school ... seemed to be near the car…" The voice faded in and out and Carson tried to concentrate. "..and rang an ambulance… yes Mrs Hummel, both stable…"

Peeling his eyelids back, he could see the blurry figure of a nurse talking on the phone to someone. He was in hospital.

This realisation surprised Carson, and he tried to sit up.

"Oh hold on, Carson's waking up!" The nurse called, hurrying over. "Hey honey, just take it easy."

"Where am I?" He asked, frowning at the nurse. "I was just heading to my car."

He was embarrassed to find his voice slightly slurred. The nurse looked very worried, listening to something more in the phone before saying goodbye and hanging up.

"Mr Hummel, your parents will be here soon." She said kindly.

"Hummel?" Carson asked. "Wait… both my parents?"

"Yes dear," The nurse said.

"My Dad and my Mum?" He asked. "They're both coming?"

The nurse nodded and then looked guilty. She knew the Hummels; knew that Burt first wife - the boy's mother - had died.

"I'm sorry, I assumed- I mean your father and step mother are on their way." She corrected herself. She'd thought Carole had become an accepted part of the family, but apparently they didn't call her their Mum yet.

She didn't realise Carson was confused for an entirely different reason.

"_What?"_ Carson was thinking of his own parents. He thought she meant his father had married that April woman he was engaged to already. But he didn't understand why had the Hospital staff called his father to come in, when he lived with his Mum. Not that his Mum would be able to drive up by herself… But still, they should have called her and she would have gotten a ride. "What about my real Mum?"

"Oh," The nurse was now looking extremely concerned. She thought he was talking about Mrs Hummel, his dead birth mother. "Ah, yes. I'll just go and…"

He glared at her retreating figure, disapproving of her inability to do things right the first time. He had no idea what had happened to him, but surely a hospital should do a better job than they had done so far.

Actually, as Carson tried to remember how he might have ended up in hospital, he could only recall walking across the car park, and the strange flash of light…

Had that been lightning? Surely he wouldn't be alive if that had been lightning. And who in Clovis would have found his body in the car park anyway. No one would be around that area for days afterwards. Unless days had _already_ passed.

What _was _the time anyway?

Carson looked around the room, trying to spot a clock, but before he saw anything his gaze skirted over a figure that made him stop and stare.

The boy in the bed next to him looked just like him.

Carson felt a shiver run up his spine as he examined the boy. It was like looking at a photograph, except that this photograph was moving and breathing and _living_.

He felt only curiosity at first. The more he looked the easier it was to spot small differences. The boy's skin, rather than being slightly tanned like Carson's, was pale. He was covered in freckles though. His hair was styled higher. His expression was peaceful too.

Then it struck Carson how creepy this was. Some guy that looked just like him appeared in the bed beside him? Was this another thing his parents had hidden from him? Was it some weird sick joke?

"Mr Hummel, it would probably be better if you lay back down." The nurse's voice startled him and Carson snapped at her in response.

"You have got to be shitting me." He snarled, leaning back on the pillows with folded arms. "Who's this fucker?"

He jerked a thumb at the look-alike and the nurse's eyes widened.

"I think you may be a little confused, dear." The nurse said, as if he were a five year old who'd clutched the wrong leg in a supermarket, mistaking her for his mother.

"Okay this isn't funny. And why am I called Hummel?" He asked.

She looked seriously worried now; more like the five year old had cut off their own arm.

"Ah, okay Mr H– Carson. We'll um, let me just…" She trailed off and quickly left the room, muttering something under her breath. The only word Carson caught was "amnesia".

Now he was seriously pissed off. He had no idea what was happening, but a part of him was absolutely terrified at this turn of events.

…

"Ah good, Mr Hummel." The nurse said, spotting Burt talking to someone at the counter as soon as she left his sons' room. "There's been a… complication. It would be best to have you come and meet your son first, to see if the solution is that simple."

"What's happened?" Burt asked. His voice was gruff with concern and Carole wound a gentle arm around his waist, her own face pale. Behind them, Finn looked very out of place with his hands deep in his pockets, and Kurt, the triplet, seemed very confused.

"There seems to be a small case of memory loss. Carson didn't seem to recognise his brother. But I think the best way to face the problem is for him to see you. His father's face should help jog his memory. And talking to you a moment would be advised. If the problem continues, we will have to find a new way to tackle it." The nurse rattled off.

"Alright," Burt seemed fairly confident that Carson would quickly come to his senses. He was a tough kid. Burt had been terribly afraid when he'd been contacted about what the hospital thought was a lightning strike. Burt hated the idea it might have lasting effects on his son.

The nurse led the family of four down the hallway to the room. She swung open the door to find Carson still staring at Chris with a furrowed brow.

When Kurt saw the other two boys he gasped. His mind was reeling with a dull ache of confusion. He was still very tired, and this was almost too much to handle. How did two identical boys he'd never seen before suddenly pop into existence?

"Who are you?" The boy in the bed snapped. Kurt blinked in surprise at the sound of his deeper voice and the malice in his tone. Again the boy was like him yet not like him. Kurt hung back a little as Burt stepped forward. Carole wrapped and arm around Kurt and let her husband kneel down by the bed.

"Hey kid," Burt said, "How're you feeling?"

"This is not fucking funny." Carson said, but he wasn't looking at Burt. He was glaring at the nurse. "I don't know why you think you have the authority to do this, but it had better stop now. My Mum may not seem like much to face up to, but rest assured I can have a complaint filed that will-"

"Carson," Burt said slowly. "Don't you… know who I am?"

"Nope," Carson didn't even glance at him. "So just piss off and tell this joker to send my real parents in."

"Oh dear," The nurse said, backing toward the wall and pressing a small button. The intercom buzzed on and made Kurt jump. As the nurse started talking to someone in a different part of the hospital, Kurt stepped up to join his Dad.

The boy, Carson was glaring up at him, but for some reason it wasn't as scary as it might have been to someone else. It was just like looking at his own angry face. And he wasn't exactly scared of himself. Although now that he was looking, he realised the boy had more differences than just the fashion sense Kurt had noticed in the photographs. He was tanner than Kurt, and his eyes were bluer than Kurt's, which often looked greenish in some light; the same way Burt's did. And there was a pimple on Carson's forehead that made Kurt take a closer look at his skin and realise he probably didn't do anything to take care of it.

Kurt wanted to ask who the boy was, and why he was here, and how this had all happened, but he stayed silent. They all seemed to think the boy, Carson, had amnesia or something. And at least Carson was in hospital and suspected of having concussion anyway, according to Burt. It made sense for Carson to blurt out things that everyone thought sounded crazy. If Kurt started doing it too, he'd only be shoved in hospital as well. What Kurt wanted to know was why people thought Carson was crazy. It seemed to him that Carson was right. None of this made sense.

Kurt assumed, since everyone said these boys were his brothers, that he was allowed to go and look at the other boy. In fact, Finn was already sitting in a seat beside this brother.

"Where the fuck are you going?" Carson snapped defensively as Kurt moved around his bed.

"Please stop swearing." Kurt asked with a wince. Honestly, in front of his Dad and Carole? Did this guy have no sense at all?

"Has Chris woken yet?" Burt asked the nurse, who was waiting with her hands clasped in front of her.

"No, he's been out since he arrived." She said.

Kurt studied this brother as well. He was as pale as Kurt, but covered in freckles that Kurt only got small scatterings of occasionally. This one at least looked kinder. Though it may have been because he was asleep.

The door opened and three more people in hospital uniforms came inside. Kurt watched as Carson whipped around to face them.

"Seriously ready for this to stop," Carson told them, still frowning so hard Kurt thought he'd probably get wrinkles far before his time.

"Carson," The lady at the front said. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

"Fire away. You may as well since you have me stuck here." Carson growled defensively. Kurt took a seat, watching warily as his mind whirred in his skull, pondering the situation and trying to work out what was going on.

"What's your full name?" The Head Nurse asked. The other three were just watching quietly. One was a big muscled guy, and Kurt figured he was there to hold Carson down if any trouble started.

"Carson Phillips," Carson said firmly. They seemed to be waiting for something more, but none came. Kurt saw Burt's shoulders sag with disappointment. He peered around the edge of Carson's bed and saw the sign hanging there. _Carson Phillip Hummel._

"Where are we right now?" The Head Nurse asked.

"I dunno, do I look like a fu- fricking GPS? Clovis Hospital or something." Carson rolled his eyes and Kurt suddenly felt he saw a deeper connection with this boy. That gesture, at least, was something they both shared. And he was pleased he'd actually listened to Kurt's request.

"Ah, what do you mean by Clovis?" The Nurse bit her lip nervously as Carson laughed. Kurt was taken aback once again by how different they were.

"Clovis, California, United States of America, Earth, The Solar System-" Carson smirked as he said it.

"Okay we get the idea, Carson." The nurse nodded to her colleagues and one of them wrote something down. Kurt watched as the original nurse left the room.

"Do you recognise these people?" The Head Nurse asked next. Her voice was suddenly a lot kinder, despite the fact that Carson bristled with more fury every moment.

"Hell no!" Carson hissed. "That's what I've been trying to say!"

"Not even Kurt and Chris?" This voice belonged to Finn.

"That's the part that makes no fucking sense!" And now Carson was yelling again. "How the shit do you get these two guys that look just like me? What is even going on here? This joke is getting really old really fast. So I'd _appreciate_ if someone could break the news to me. Jump out and tell me I've been Punk'd and let me get home, okay?"

The room remained in shocked silence. The male Nurse edged closer to Carson's bed.

"I don't know who _Kurt_ is! All I know is it is scary to see me looking so freakishly _pretty_ or whatever he is. And this _Chris _guy who's been knocked out is really freaking me out. So just give it the fuck up and tell me what is happening? I don't exactly like waking up in hospital to find some shitty scene where everyone suddenly acts like they give a crap and crowds around my bed. Do you have any idea how weird this is? How out of line? Aren't you supposed to be a hospital? Aren't you supposed to stay professional? Yet it seems to me you threw that all away to pull some stupid prank…"

…

Chris could hear nothing, but he started to feel his limbs again. There was a weird tingly sensation everywhere. Suddenly sounds started fading into existence. Louder it rushed against his ears. He could make it out properly. Someone was yelling.

"… _Chris _guy who's been knocked out…" Chris heard his own name and struggled to open his eyes. The voice sounded oddly familiar and he almost thought he wasn't hearing it right. Because it _couldn't _be.

It was, Chris realised, it _was_ his own voice. But talking in the way he spoke when he acted as Carson. But the words he was saying were words Chris had never said before.

"…I don't exactly like waking up in hospital to find some shitty scene where everyone act like they give a crap and…" Chris groaned as he tried to open his eyes and found that the world was very blurry. He saw a movement beside him and wrenched his eyes open to try and see. He managed to focus on a face. It was Cory. Cory Monteith. What was he doing on set? He wasn't filming today.

"… Aren't you supposed to be a hospital?..." The voice continued.

Chris remembered now, he remembered the lightning hitting him and Darren. Were they in hospital? Why was Cory there though? Because hadn't even been on set at the time it's not like he accompanied them in the ambulance.

And that still didn't explain the voice he could hear. Chris turned over, still peering through tired eyes.

"… Threw that all away to pull some stupid prank…"

"Carson?" Chris squeaked in shock. Because what he was seeing defied all logic. It was himself, acting as Carson. But not on a T.V screen. _Actually there._

Carson turned to face Chris and his mind was blown by how real this all seemed. He didn't understand what was happening.

"Oh yay, this one's awake." Carson said in a sarcastic tone that Chris knew just how to use, but had never used to say those words.

"Chris, you okay buddy?" Another voice asked. It was Mike. Mike O'Malley. Chris turned to look at him and again, wondering what _he_ was doing in the hospital. Actually, now he was looking, he realised that Romy Rosemont was beside him. But she wasn't dressed like Romy, she was dressed like Carole Hudson, her character. Actually, Mike was also dressed like Burt. He kept looking around and then, closer to Chris' bed…

"Oh my god," Chris breathed. Not only was Carson somehow impossibly there, but so was Kurt. Chris was here three times, acting as two other people. "Kurt?"

"There you go, Chris recognises us Kurt," Carole said warmly to the baffled boy.

Chris looked around again, and then down at himself. He felt a shock of disappointment. He was younger. He'd gone back in age. He looked like he had a couple years ago when he was acting as Kurt in season two. Some of his old insecurities seemed to come back at the sight of himself.

Although he still didn't understand what was happening. He felt like he was stuck in some weird Sci-Fi movie where he'd landed in an alternate universe.

"I still don't know what the fuck is going on!" Carson snapped, drawing attention back to himself.

"We're going to have to put him under," Said the male nurse, who was to the right enough for Chris to hear his whispers, but not Carson. "And work out what we think went wrong. He appears not to remember anything about his life. Not even his own triplets."

_Oh,_ thought Chris, _This really is like a Sci-fi movie._

"Um, excuse me," He said aloud, thoughts buzzing around in his brain. "Could I talk to my brothers alone for a moment?"

The Head Nurse looked warily at him and then she turned to Burt.

"Would you be alright with that, Mr Hummel?" She asked. "It may help Carson to remember, especially as Chris was with him at the time and may be able to help him recall what happened."

"Oh course," Burt said, standing already. He clapped Kurt on the shoulder as he passed. "I'll see you three soon, okay?"

"Bye Dad," Kurt looked scared as his family and then the Hospital staff, left him alone with the two boys he'd never seen before.

There was an awkward pause. Carson and Kurt were staring at Chris.

"It's okay." Said Chris, thinking he might have a grasp of what was happening. Even though what was happening was impossible. "Let me explain…"

* * *

Thanks for reading. Please do tell me what you think.


	2. An Alternate Universe?

Here is the second chapter. I'm sorry it has taken me so long, but I think I'd better warn you that updates for this story will probably take a while. We'll start really getting into the story in the next chapter hopefully. Enjoy!

* * *

Chris could see the fear in Kurt's eyes, and though Carson hid it better, he could tell he was scared too. Chris wondered which would believe him first. On one hand, Kurt was more trusting and accepting than Carson, but he was also more likely to stay guarded and not express his disbelief at first. He would want to work things out for himself before he said anything. Carson, on the other hand, might start a huge yelling argument and Chris wasn't sure how he'd find a way around that. He almost laughed, because it was his own fault for making two such strong willed people.

"Right," He took a deep breath. "This is going to sound absolutely crazy. But I'm sure you've both realised this _will_ be absolutely crazy no matter what."

Carson scoffed in response, and it made Kurt jump.

"Um, Kurt just sit down, we won't hurt you okay?" Chris gestured to one of the seats. "You can relax."

"I know. I'm not scared." Kurt said with a defiant tilt to his chin as he folded into the seat. Chris was thrown off a moment by the way Kurt moved. It was so disconcerting to see the familiar movements.

"L-let me work out how to phrase this." Chris said, his teeth worrying at his lip as he considered his options. "Pretty much what I think has happened is that I come from an alternate universe. So does Carson-"

"You're kidding right?" Carson laughed, but it was mocking and annoyed rather than amused. He already seemed like he'd decided not to believe anything. "An alternate universe?"

"Please let me talk, Carson. Hear me out before you- you judge me. I was just saying that where I come from, I'm an actor. I play a character called _Kurt Hummel_ on a tv show about the New Directions. So I acted as you, Kurt." He said, directing this comment at Kurt, whose eyes were very wide. "And I _also_ wrote the screen play for this movie called Struck By Lightning. The movie got made and I acted as the main character, _Carson Phillips_."

"No," Carson was shaking his head as Chris turned to him. "That's impossible."

"I would have thought so until today. Yet here you are. You and Kurt are both standing here, when you should be fictional characters" Chris countered.

"_I'm_ not fictional. And anyway, you said you're on that show Glee? I hate the show – trashy shit that it is – but I have seen a bit and, well, I've seen enough of it to know you aren't on it." Carson said. "I think I'd notice _this guy_."

He jerked a thumb at Kurt, who was still very quiet.

"Let me guess, there was an Indian student on your version of Glee?" Chris asked, thinking of the role that had been scrapped when his audition for Artie had caused the writers to create a new part for him, and take out the role of the Indian boy they'd written in previously.

"I dunno it's not like I watch the show properly." Carson said sulkily. Chris raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed. "Okay fine! There _was_ and Indian kid, but I don't see how that changes anything."

"Well, if I didn't exist in your world, the role of that Indian kid would never have been written out of the Show. It's because they wrote the part of Kurt for me that the other role was abandoned. So I guess in a world where I don't exist, that role still would." Chris explained.

"That doesn't make any sense." Carson said. But it did, as much as he hated to admit it.

"What about the other story?" Kurt soft voice made both of them stop to listen. "The story about… Carson."

He faltered over the name, but Chris could see that he actually seemed curious. Maybe he did believe him.

"Well in my movie about Carson's life, he sort of gets um…" He glanced at the angry boy. "He gets hit by uh, hit by lightning. And he sort of - well he dies."

"What the hell?" Carson demanded "You _killed _me?"

"If it makes anything better, the fans were furious that it happened." Chris said with a little laugh. It was oddly thrilling to see his characters spring to life before him. He couldn't help but be intrigued and a little thrilled by this strange turn of events. And Carson's anger proved that he too was beginning to believe Chris to some extent.

"If I died when I was hit, why am I here?" Carson said, ever questioning.

"I _think,_ now remember I'm not sure seeing as this is all just happening to me too, but I _think_ that since _I_ got struck by lightning too it changed things." He was almost surprised Carson hadn't interrupted again. He was just shaking his head while Kurt was watching both of them warily. "I think that instead of you dying, we got struck at the same time. And so we _both_ got flung over here."

There was another long pause. The Carson shook himself, stopped opening and closing his mouth like he couldn't find words, and spoke.

"Look, you can't expect us to believe that." Carson said, "It's just not _possible_."

"Do you have another explanation?" Kurt asked unexpectedly. His look of fear was giving way to some slight fascination as he glanced at Chris. Chris smiled because Kurt believed him now. And that meant Carson might as well.

Carson glanced between them for a while. His mind was whirring furiously in an attempt to work things out. He realised Chris was right. It was the only explanation that made any sense. Not that it actually made any sense. Nothing did.

"How did you get there?" He asked slowly.

"What?" Both Chris and Kurt said at the same time. Chris had to press a hand to the back of his mouth to stop himself from laughing. This was just too surreal.

"How did you get in the car park?" Carson was impatient. But now it was because he wanted to work out how Chris' theory could work, not because he wanted to prove Chris wrong.

"Well I was filming a scene for Glee. And we filmed outside in the school carpark. Then it started raining and I was getting ready to head back to my trailer, and getting out my umbrella. One of my co-stars came up to m-" Suddenly Chris' legs flew over the side of his bed and he stood up so fast he got dizzy. "Oh shit!"

"What?" Kurt yelped, moving his legs out of the way even though Chris simply flopped back down on the bed again.

"Darren." Chris said simply, his brow furrowed. "What on earth happened to him?"

"Who?" Carson snapped. Chris was still frowning at the floor with concentration as he tried to work out what had happened. He'd been so _sure_ that Darren got hit by the lightning strike as well. He'd felt the electricity run through them, quivering in the shoulders that had been pressed together.

"Chris?" Kurt sounded worried and Chris jerked into awareness again. "Who's Darren?"

"He's one of my co-stars. He plays Blaine on the show." Chris explained.

"Who's Blaine?" Kurt's innocent question shocked Chris. He forgotten there had been a time before Blaine; a time when Kurt had been tormented almost every day. He realised he had no idea what point this was in the Glee Universe.

"He's um- he's a kid you'll meet soon." Chris said. He was pretty sure this was season two. Kurt looked like season two Kurt. And Chris looked like himself during season two. His muscle definition was a lot less and he still had some chubbiness that made him cringe. He had been so insecure at this time of his life.

"What kind of kid?" Kurt asked warily. It really struck Chris that he couldn't give away too much about the future. It was a delicate situation he was in.

"Right now it's more important that you tell me what you're doing in Glee Club right now. I need to know what episode just occurred. I'm pretty sure that even with me and Carson in this world to change thing, it'll be fairly similar to the goings-on on the show. We can't have changed _that much._" Chis said seriously. Kurt was nibbling on his lip, but he thought about and answered the question even if he seemed worried.

"We just finished our Rocky Horror project. Was that part of the 'Glee' show?" He asked. "We performed it for ourselves since we couldn't do it in front of an audience anymore. It was pretty fun."

Chris saw the way he still looked enthusiastic about Glee Club, even though he now realised that Kurt was about to face one of the worst stages of Karofsky's harassment. He was going to get his first kiss stolen soon. Something protective rose up in Chris and he wondered if he could stop that from happening.

"That was part of the show." He said. "Okay, I think I know what's going on. Sort of."

"Well that's just great. How does this help us? And what do I do?" Carson asked with a sigh.

"We're just going to have to go through this and work it out as we go. I'm sure we can. Together." Kurt said with an attempt at a smile.

Carson gagged. "Oh god you really are a fictional character. That was cheesy as fuck."

Kurt winced again and it made Chris sigh. "Carson, can you hold off the swearing in front of Kurt's- our – Dad?"

"He's not your Dad." Kurt said suddenly, looking upset. Chris suddenly remembered that Kurt was already upset about sharing Burt with Finn.

"No of course not." Chris amended. "I just meant people think he is now."

"And I guess I can stop swearing if I have to." Carson sighed, eyeing Kurt curiously. He wondered why someone would have such a big reaction over a comment like that. He'd gladly share his Dad- actually he'd rather give his Dad up entirely.

"We have to make a plan though, so that we can do this accurately and-" A knock on the door interrupted Chris.

"You boys okay?" Burt's voice called.

"We're going to have to come back in." The Head Nurse added, and the door swung open. The Head Nurse, the male one, and Kurt's family were the only ones still there.

"Carson remembers!" Chris said with a wide grin before either of the boys could speak first.

"I was just being cautious before." Carson mumbled, crossing his arms. He wanted to excuse his behaviour because now that he thought about it, he had been a little dramatic. His comment made Burt laugh and clap him on the shoulder.

"Same as ever Carson, glad to have you back." Burt said happily.

"What'd you do to him?" Finn asked, impressed.

"We just talked to him." Kurt shrugged.

Chris climbed out of bed and was a little startled when Carole caught his arm and then hugged him.

"We're so glad you boys are okay." She mumbled in his shoulder. "We were so worried when we got that call."

As Chris melted into the hug a little (he missed his parents and the whole thing was starting to sink in now), the nurses began looking over Carson to check he was stable. As Finn and Kurt started talking and arguing half-heartedly, Chris felt even more at home. These were characters he knew after all. As Burt interrupted the argument with a supportive comment, the nurse left Carson alone and checked Chris over too. Chris cleared his throat as he realised he had a question to ask.

"Was- I mean did you find us alone in the car park?" He said. "Or was there anyone else there too?"

"You were alone." The nurse seemed puzzled. "Why would you have been with someone?"

"I dunno, I just wondered w-who found us." Chris grasped the excuse.

"We were called by one of your teachers, a Ms. Sylvester." The nurse said. Chris nodded and let it drop. Maybe Darren hadn't been sucked in after all.

Within ten minutes they were released to go home. He and Carson were each handed bags with their stuff in them, and he found that everything he'd been carrying in his world had zipped with him across the Universe gap or whatever.

As the group walked out to the car, Chris was sure this was just about the strangest thing that had ever happened to him.

…

After some joking from Burt and laughter over the delight that both boys were unharmed, they let the 'triplets' go upstairs to their room together.

"So this is the bedroom." Kurt stood awkwardly by the door, watching the two boys who were about to become his brothers. They seemed like such different people. It was weird having them in his house.

Chris actually looked fairly at home as he took in the beds, even if he was a little amazed by the size of the room. Because, of course, he'd been here before. It was odd for Kurt to remember that. Chris ran his hands along the set of books and gasped at the sight of the signatures on the Doctor Who poster, running his fingers along them with a fond smile.

Kurt liked Chris. He seemed nice enough, even though he was just wearing a crumpled shirt and jeans. Chris had seemed sensible and he obviously knew the most about this whole thing. Maybe it was the apparent interest in Sci-Fi. And Chris had been kind when he was telling them what was happening, and patient with Carson. Kurt was also _very_ curious about just how many seasons of Glee there were, and whether Chris knew the future because of his part in them.

Carson was pulling off his shoes and frowning around at the unfamiliar space as he flung his shoes down and started pulling open random drawers in what he assumed was his dresser. As he slammed the top three, stuffed with what seemed like full notebooks, and then finally found his pyjamas in the fourth, Kurt sighed.

Carson was a little less… kind. Kurt just wasn't so sure about him. He seemed like he _could_ be okay, but he hadn't exactly made a good first impression. In fact, now that he flung his hoodie down by his shoes and stomped off to discover the bathroom to get changed, Kurt found himself frowning as well. It wasn't that he didn't like Carson. It was just that he found him a little a little frustrating. But then again, Kurt was friend with _Rachel Berry_ to some extent, so he supposed he could get used to it.

He folded Carson's hoodie and lined his shoes up before finding his own pyjamas.

…

It was actually around five thirty in the morning when they actually went to bed. The accident had happened late at night and they'd spent a long time in the hospital. Carson wasn't surprised that he couldn't sleep after being to alert. The other two seemed to have dropped off okay, even though Chris has tossed and turned for a long time.

Now that he was asleep he kept mumbling things like 'lightning' and 'where did he _go_?' but Carson managed to tune him out. Kurt on the other hand was curled into a tight ball and had been completely still since he dropped off.

Carson climbed out of bed and walked to the window inside the walk-in closet. He could see the street outside, and the neighbour's house. The sky was started to lighten very faintly.

It really felt like his brain was going to explode just thinking about this. It went against _everything_ that should be possible.

He was also shaking a little because he could have died that day, but for some reason Chris got hit as well. And now here he was.

Was this some sort of second chance? Why was it that Carson got hit just after he didn't get into the school of his dreams? Maybe now he could try again. Maybe now he could get in. They'd accepted him into the school after all. So they'd do it here too right? And this time he Mum wasn't around to chuck the acceptance letter in the bin. He could have a second chance.

But was he meant to be _dead?_

Carson shuddered and drew back a little. At least he was with okay people. Kurt seemed sweet enough, and Chris seemed reasonable and smart. They weren't anything like the Remys and Claires of the world.

"I'll be fine." Carson told himself. He went and climbed back into the bed that smelled too clean and felt too soft.

He was free from everyone he hated. He should be happy, right?

But Carson cried, just a little, because he had to let go of everyone and everything he knew to get a second chance. And worst of all, he'd left his Grandma behind.

* * *

Don't forget to review! Like a few of my reviewers, I never really read stories about people in real life so I'm not sure if I'm very good at characterising the actual people (Chris and Darren) very well. It'd be awesome to get some feedback!


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